Ask to Borrow Something in Portuguese and Return It — Practice

Ask politely for the item

Use você pode me emprestar…? to ask someone to lend you something. Emprestar means to lend or loan; pegar emprestado means to borrow.

Name the item and add por favor if the situation calls for a more courteous request.

Agree on when you will return it

Say when you expect to return the item, especially if it is something the other person may need soon. Use devolver for returning an object.

If your plans change, let the person know rather than assuming the arrangement is open-ended.

Return the item and say thank you

When you return something, say obrigado or obrigada and mention that you brought it back. If something happened to the item, explain clearly.

For taking or bringing objects between places, compare our article on levar versus trazer.

Remember: Practice a request that names the item, a return date, and a brief thank-you when you give it back.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. Could you lend me a pen?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você pode me emprestar uma caneta?

2. Can I borrow your umbrella?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Posso pegar seu guarda-chuva emprestado?

3. Do you have a charger I could use?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você tem um carregador que eu possa usar?

4. I’ll return it tomorrow morning.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Devolvo amanhã de manhã.

5. Can I keep it until Friday?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Posso ficar com ele até sexta?

6. Do you need it back today?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Precisa dele de volta hoje?

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Practice a request that names the item, a return date, and a brief thank-you when you give it back.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Ask to Borrow Something in Portuguese and Return It lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.